5 comments about JavaScript and Ajax for the Web, Sixth Edition (Visual QuickStart Guide).

1. This book gives some nice examples of usable code for a few common uses but doesnt give a very good explanation of what is being done and why. if you have great programming experience and a excellent knowledge of the DOM this book would be good way to get some javascript going, but for the average person looking to learn how javascript works and apply it in other ways than those shown in the book you are better off elsewhere.



2. I'm an experienced procedural php, xhtml and css developer with litter foundational knowledge about javascript. I purchased this book to fill that gap and was a little disappointed. It's not a bad book but it assumes a lot and has little instructional flow. The book scrolls though one example after another without much explanation for the actual language constructs behind javascript.
   
   The author states that this book is not for beginners and I don't consider myself to be one, however, I'd advise anyone looking to buy this book to have a solid understanding of object oriented programming principals before they do so.
   
   Overall it's not a bad book for a certain audience but it lacks foundational, and in my opinion vital, information about javascript.



3. I've been learning JavaScript off and on, with some success, for three months. In doing so, I've skimmed about a half-dozen books and tried the following three, so far, "graded" below:
   
   Learning JavaScript (Powers B-)
   VQS JavaScript and Ajax (Negrino & Smith C+)
   O'Reilly JavaScript Pocket Reference (Flanagan B)
   
   It's hard to find good books on this because the subject matter is new and the books are often dashed off quickly. VQS JavaScript and Ajax is essentially a collection of well-explained examples of well-organized code. It's written more to fill pages than flesh out the subject, however. The explanations are unnecessarily wordy and the broader coverage of concepts, context and how to, you would want to include in a teaching book are missing.
   
   Strangest of all perhaps is the author's choice of leaving out how html talks to Javascript or the details of how they link. Since JavaScript's purpose is to interact with html and pass things back and forth, it's sort of like doing marriage counseling and only focusing on what the woman's thinking to herself. Unfortunately, they're not the only authors that make this oversight.
   
   The VQS format is great and they do a good job of using color to highlight the portions of code they're referring to. The is a good, annotated collection of code examples. It's something I've found to be only marginally helpful in getting started.



4. The book arrived quickly. I is new quality. I intend to increase my knowledge of DOM, JavaScrip anf AJAX.



5. This is my first QSG book. I assume the layout is "feature" of the series, if so this will be my last.
   
   Bottom line first: the title is a lie, this is a book about javascript with a chapter on AJAX; this book has good content, but the presentation will drive you insane while you read it.
   
   Layout:
   The book has a good concept but doesn't execute it well. Each page is divided into two columns, the example code is in one column, the text describing that code is in the other. This really is a great concept. It's used in analytic copies of a number of Shakespeare's plays and works well there. It works because they are conscientious about pagination, include line references, and use facing pages not columns.
   Columns are a problem because each line has about three words before wrapping. The dot syntax of javascript is particularly hard to read with such short lines.
   The pagination / line reference is really the biggest problem in the QSG's execution. They let the text and code flow through the columns across pages without much attention. This means you are constantly flipping forwards and backwards to see the code as you read. Without line references the flipping is not just annoying it's really more of a search.
   They make two attempts to address the pagination problem: first, the code being talked about is highlighted in red; second, they reprint the code block being talked about in the text column. Neither of these is helpful. Half of the code ends up being highlighted red - at most you can scan the red blocks to figure out what that code is an example of, and what is just there to support the example. If they are going to reprint the code anyway why not just go over to a normal layout? My suggestion: use facing pages for the next edition!
   
   AJAX:
   This is not a book on AJAX. This is an introduction to javascript that includes a buzz word in its title to jump off the shelf at people. It's not even an introduction to javascript from an AJAX prospective. In fact AJAX isn't covered well in the book. For example there is very little discussion of how to navigate returned XML using javascript. AJAX is mentioned in the intro and then 'taught' in chapters 15 and 16. (Chapter 16 is just a discussion of available libraries!) You can't give AJAX top billing and then devote 10% of the actual book to it.
   
   So why 2 stars?
   
   I was looking for a book that assumed very little or no knowledge of javascript. I was hoping for something that would address canonical javascripting, best practices, and a bit theory behind the topics being covered. I'm self taught and wanted to see how things should be done instead of how they can be done. This book would be a darn good intro for a beginner. The theory and best practices parts were not explicitly addressed as often as I would have liked; however, they were demonstrated and covered at times.
   
   4 star content, less 1 for layout, less 1 for title.

5 comments about JavaScript & DHTML Cookbook (2nd edition).

1. Problem solution format is ideal for the topic. DHTML is best served by this format. I was able to solve some problems I was working on and improve some of my existing code with the recipes presented.
   
   A little more emphasis on cross-browser compatibility than I needed.
   
   I would recommend this to developers who need examples of common page creation issues in JavaScript.



2. This is a great book for beginners and experts. For beginners, he offers clear examples on how to get started in solving real world problems with Javascript. For experts, this offers a great refresher on how to do things right.



3. I still have the first edition of this book but other than perhaps missing the chapters on ajax it's not outdated at all. This book has saved my life several times already. Almost every time I am looking to solve a tricky problem in javascript, I find that this book contains a well explained chapter with the exact solution that I was looking for. The authors often make a point of going through multiple iterations of a solution, to demonstrate what needs to be modified to support certain browsers, and at the same time ensure that the reader actually understands the code too.
   
   This is a great book for experienced javascript developers who want to save time by using tried and tested code to solve common problems, but at the same time understand that code too.



4. I wouldn't buy this book if you are going for aesthetics for you website. I wouldn't buy it if you are a heavy programmer either. Its a good "middle" book for just general roll overs, browser detections, and other javascript functions for form validation. Its a little small.



5. I really like this book. The format of each technique demonstrated is
   
   Problem- Solution- Discussion
   
   The nice thing is that you can get a quick explanation from the solution, and a more in depth response in the discussion. The author presents complete code which is easily built upon and customized.
   
   I knew a bit of Javascript when I started, but I think this would be an excellent book even for a complete beginner.

5 comments about Pro JavaScript Design Patterns.

1. Design patterns, and particularly their application in dynamic languages can be a controversial topic, and every now and again another round of blog posts bubbles up appalled at the way a new group of programmers have become infatuated with design patterns. Applied without care design patterns can quickly lead to over-engineered code that seems designed as much to draw on as many of the established patterns as possible as to solve the intended problem. But if applied with care, and with consideration of how a pattern applies in the context of your chosen language they can be a helpful way to draw on the wisdom of the coders that came before you, and make your code easier to understand to those who may inherit it.
   
   Written by Dustin Diaz (of Google) and Ross Harmes (of Yahoo), Pro Javascript Design Patterns builds on experience of building complex, high profile javascript applications. That experience shows as each pattern is introduced with solid examples and sample code and then refined to provide looser-coupling, more flexibility and/or better performance.
   
   Early on in the book I was concerned that some of the solutions could become too heavy and the early introduction of interfaces hinted at something akin to the early approaches to pattern usage in PHP, which often looked more like an attempt to turn PHP into Java than a way to use PHP's own features better. As the book goes on the usefulness of those interfaces, particularly for large development teams, becomes clear and most of those concerns are allayed, especially as the authors offer pros and cons for the use of each pattern and are clearly focussed on how these patterns can help produce more robust solutions.
   
   Most of the patterns will have a fairly immediate impact for developers new to them, and even for those who have used them in other contexts it is helpful to see how they have been applied in JavaScript. Most modern JavaScript libraries rely on several of these patterns to abstract out handling of different browser quirks or adding new event types, and even if you rely heavily on one or more of the major libraries this guide may well help you understand their internals better.
   
   I've sometimes been skeptical of books claiming to be targeted at an advanced target. Labels like "pro" are often handed out far too easily. But in this case it seems deserved. While the book does a good job of quickly introducing approaches to object-oriented programming in JavaScript, that's based on an assumption of a solid knowledge of the language and of OO development in at least one language. If you're a newcomer to JavaScript or just looking for a way to add a few fancy features to your web pages this isn't be book for you. But if you have some serious JavaScript development experience and are needing a way to tighten up your code to make it more modular and more maintainable, this book is well worth your time.
   
   Disclaimer: I was sent a copy of this book for review by the publisher.



2. A bit hard to read unless you have the detailed knowledge of JavaScript and design patterns. Lack of figures to represent how things work and the idea behind all these.
   
   Other than that, this is one of the GREATEST books about JavaScript you can find in the market, especially for those who want to know more about the JavaScript and design pattern.



3. This book provides one of the more thorough treatments of some of the more advanced javascript idioms/concepts - it's not aimed at the beginner - and it does have some typos (for e.g defining functions as obj.fun() { } vs obj.fun = function() {...} - and while i haven't completed reading it (it is a design patterns book after all) - I have been quite impressed with it's initial chapters (encapsulation, inheritance, singletons etc.)
   And as you would expect, this book does make it easier to follow library code written using the class-based OO pattern (such as extjs).



4. This book is a "JavaScript for Programmers" book. It's very detailed and advanced. I wouldn't classify it as a "JavaScript for Web Weenies" or a "JavaScript for Stupid UI Tricks" book at all. If you don't know OOP concepts in another language already, this book really might be too much for you and could frustrate you. This book is good if you are a server-side programmer and you want to know how to push JavaScript about as far as it can go (at this point). If you are a web programmer/designer with a light understanding of OOP concepts and you want to "go deep", this book could be ok, but I would try to learn OOP from another language first because this book would read better with that background knowledge. Also, I am recommending that you already know OOP from another language because you can really shoot yourself in the foot with JavaScript because it's *so* flexible and the authors prove this well! I think it's probably a good idea to know when you're going off in the weeds and JavaScript really doesn't provide many boundaries where other languages have stricter controls on what you can do.
   
   This book shows that when used by an experienced person, JavaScript is no joke. Seriously.



5. "Pro JavaScript Design Pattens"is a useful read regardless of whether you have a JavaScript or server side language background. An advanced topic that appeals to such varied audiences is tough to do, but the authors succeed admirably. In fact, I can't do such a job, so read the chapter that applies...
   
   For JavaScript developers:
   The book covers how to write good clean object oriented code in JavaScript. It introduces concepts that are not present in JavaScript along with how to simulate them. The sections on when to use a given pattern are well written.
   
   For server side language developers:
   The book covers how to implement in JavaScript the design patterns we are accustomed to. Before getting to this, there are several chapters on JavaScript idioms which are very useful. There were also a couple patterns that a server side developer might not have encountered because the server side is not so memory constrained.
   
   For everyone:
   The book also covers tradeoffs of using the patterns. I appreciated where they mention the slight performance hit and how to check/profile if it is a problem for you. All patterns were described clearly and succinctly. There were some real examples as well. At times, it is a bit code heavy - one example had 1.5 pages of implementation details that had nothing to do with the topic at end. Overall, I think the book was great. If you have a significant amount of JavaScript code, the concepts in this book are critical.

5 comments about Pro JavaScript Techniques (Pro).

1. After writing disorganized (yet effective) JavaScript functions for seven years, I really wanted to get more out of the language. I wanted to code more efficiently. As each new project started, I found myself scurrying to find old functions strewn across different computers or servers. Even when I found this code, I would often need to make some significant changes to it.
   
   So, I did what any self-taught front-end developer would do: I hit the online tutorials. Online tutorials didn't really do it for me, though. The good tutorials seemed too short, and I kept reverting back to sloppy coding after a few days.
   
   Then I came across this book.
   
   The examples are excellent in demonstrating how the language can really work for you if you're willing to put the time into it. That being said, this book is not for beginners. This book is probably best for three groups of people:
   
   1) Intermediate JavaScript developers who are ready to finally adopt code reuse and reap the nice things a loosely typed, object-based language can give you.
   
   2) Java/C++ programmers who need to pick up JavaScript for a project. These people are already familiar with OO concepts and will probably have an easier time learning the language from a book like this.
   
   3) Ambitious beginners with a lot of patience.
   
   After only 3 chapters, I started to think about JavaScript in a different way. For the first time ever, I found myself reusing code with little to no change required. My code was easier to read, too.
   
   I'm a big proponent of activities that give back the time you invest. Bad books don't do this. Good ones, like this book, do.



2. If you are an intermediate javascript developer, and you want to know what to learn next in the javascript language this book is for you. Inside you will find concise information about several obscure javascript elements which will make your coding more effective once you master them.



3. Book has lots of examples. Many involve using libraries such as Prototype and JQuery. But, if you are not already familiar with using those libraries, the examples will not make much sense. And considering the typos in the straight JavaScript examples, it left me wondering about the validity of the library demos. Written in the style of a blogger where the author expects you to follow a link to a library's web page and then come back before you can understand the example. If I'm paying for a book to cuddle up with to read on a winter's night, I want it to be self contained - and not expect me to reach for the laptop to read up on the syntax of another library. It also didn't even touch upon one of the more difficult to grasp "Pro" techniques - scoping of "this" when using object methods during AJAX callbacks in the author's own code examples or the various libraries he touts.



4. This was an excellent book two years ago, (and still is), but it's now outdated. I bought it based on its nearly five-star rating; I wish I'd done my homework, since I immediately needed to buy other books to supplement this one.



5. Pro JavaScript Techniques by John Resig is probably the best resource on the language I've encountered to date. I'm one of those web developers who has had something of a mental block when it comes to JavaScript. Despite its ubiquity, it always seemed like a toy language to me. It didn't help that JavaScript's syntax plays a bit fast and loose to my tastes, and that virtually all of the other resources on the language I've encountered barely scratched the surface on what the language can actually do. If you're like me - familiar with the basics, but knowing that you're not proficient enough to use it in a professional setting - then this book is for you.
   
   First, the bad news. Like all aPress books I've encountered, this one suffers from a few small, but glaring, editing errors. Small things - variable names that change between examples for no good reason, in-text refrences to things the author didn't mention (no doubt something missed between drafts), that sort of thing - crop up. It's not enough to break the book, but it is annoying.
   
   Also, the first section of the book moves at break-neck speed. While some of it is review, for those of us who have been toiling in web tutorials and older books, a few re-reads are necessary to truly understand what's going on. Thankfully, Resig addresses things in a logical manner, so each topic flows nicely into the next, making returning to those parts as painless as possible.
   
   Finally, in the chapter where he discusses public, private, and privledged object properties and methods, he completely glosses over how private properties and methods function. Instead, he merely tells the user to visit Douglas Crockford's site on the matter. It's a bit of a cop-out, and I figure that since I'm spending ~$30 on the book, the least he can do is briefly condence Crockford's ideas.
   
   All that said, though, the positives outweigh the negatives by far.
   
   Despite the quick pacing of the book, the information (ignoring editing inconsistencies) is delivered in a straightforward manner. Resig addresses most, if not all, of those little things which are important in the real world (testing/debugging, how to work with libraries, how to ensure your code doesn't interfere with someone else's code, etc), but are often ignored in other resources.
   
   In particular, the early chapters (chapters 2 and 3) on dealing with JavaScript objects are well done. While Resig doesn't go into all of the details (most notably with the link to Crockford's site I mentioned earlier), these chapters form the foundation of just about everything you'd want to do with the language. Indeed, these chapters address most of the pitfalls that create those pesky JavaScript errors we've all dealt with before: scope, closures, and context. Understanding how those three concepts work in unison is fundamental towards understanding modern, professional JavaScript as a whole.
   
   Being a JavaScript book, this particular volume visits topics we're most likely all familiar with: DOM scripting, event handling, and even a bit of AJAX. Thanfully, Resig stays true to his mission of creating inobtrusive JavaScript, and keeps his HTML separated from the scripting code. This is a far cry from other self-proclaimed professional tomes that embed their JavaScript function calls within their HTML tags.
   
   To conclude (and reiterate), Pro JavaScript Techniques is the perfect book for those developers caught in the middle. It's a resource aimed at those of us who have had experience with the language, but have never been pointed in the right direction to use it in a professional manner. Despite its annoying flaws, this book fills the rather large gap between beginner's JavaScripting and creating robust AJAX applications. It's worth owning if you ever want to do serious work with the language.

5 comments about Learning jQuery: Better Interaction Design and Web Development with Simple JavaScript Techniques.

1. I love JQuery. This book is a good reference and will give you insight. I think they could have done a better job in picking the examples but what they provide is solid.
   
   There are some excellent tutorials linked on the JQuery home site that give a better intro than the book, but having read those first the book brings some more distintions and is worthwhile.



2. Learning jQuery: Better Interaction Design and Web Development with Simple JavaScript Techniques is a wonderful introduction to JQuery framework. The book offers many informative code samples and extremely helpful tutorials about how to make JQuery work for you and how to deal with common issues as well as not so common issues such as; acquiring information with the use of AJAX and manipulating tubular data. From the first page it is easy to see that this book is unlike any other.
   
   This book will aid in taking away some of that fretfully complicated mess and help the reader get a sound start with JavaScript code, serving to reveal techniques that will make the reader's code much richer as well as much more efficient.
   
   Unlike many in of it's like this book is designed more for the jQuery beginner. All that the reader need be equipped with is a general knowledge of HTML, CSS, and a firm understanding of the syntax of JavaScript, absolutely no jQuery or framework experience is needed to understand what is being expressed in the book, or to benefit from the information that is brought to light within its pages. That said I must also stress that the book can still be immensely enlightening to those with a great deal more experience with jQuery, it can teach is old pros new and more efficient techniques.
   
   The information provided in this particular book is concise, clear, and essentially easy to understand. Important information is highlighted to ensure that it grabs the reader's attention and the same strategy is used with helpful tips. The code sample throughout the chapters are formatted well and broken down for easier reading, there are also addition sections of code bolstered. Perhaps one of the most useful as well as unique aspects of learning jQuery is the live examples provided on web sites.
   
   I have found that these examples give the reader a better understanding for what the codes really do. The example alone are worth the books weight in gold, they are very high quality and can be applied to various real situations. The examples are also accompanied with screenshots that enrich the information.



3. very complete overview of the topic with well layed out examples. The reference book is a better long term value.



4. I call this the second javascript book that you will ever need because you will first need some background and understanding in javascript such as from: Simply JavaScript. However, once you begin working with Javascript you'll find yourself wishing for an easier way to accomplish numerous tedious tasks. The solution is jQuery an open source javascript library that is supported by a sharp team of developers. Jquery uses an OOPS approach to many common tasks and provides a framework to accomplish in 1 or 2 lines of code what would take dozens using javascript alone.
   
   Although Jquery is pretty straightforward the online forums and documentation aren't always clear and directions for someone starting out in Jquery aren't the best. That is why I bought this book and it has been an incredible help to me by giving me a structured, ordered and organized explanation of what Jquery can do. You'll find yourself savings plenty of time with it and expand your javascript capabilities exponentially.



5. This book is great. It teaches jQuery very effectively and in a manner that all people can understand. I highly recommend it to anyone needing/wanting to learn jQuery.

5 comments about Prototype and script.aculo.us: You Never Knew JavaScript Could Do This! (Pragmatic Programmers).

1. This book goes deep into Prototype and Scriptaculous' wonders. Follow some good code examples of draggables and slidables and other JavaScript special effects. Learn how they work and how to make them look splendid.
   
   Following the advice in this book you'll aquire some serious JavaScript-fu, making your code clear, concise, unobtrusive, working in all browsers and achieve wonders very fast.
   
   Overall a very handy book to have near whenever a JavaScript task comes up.



2. I had heard of Prototype before, but had not begun using it until this book. I bought it after seeing the recommendation on the official Prototype site and I am glad I did. Book provided an excellent learning pace, practical examples, and an extensive resource in a very concise and easily readable way. Good buy for a developer's collection!



3. Reading this little piece of work is a great way to very quickly learn the nuts and bolts of Prototype and Scriptaculous. This book is long on code and short on deep explanation and banter (for better or worse; hence "pragmatic programmer").
   
   My background: I'm not a ruby programmer. I program in ASP.NET and I recently accepted a job where I needed to quickly learn prototype. When I settled on this I didn't realize that, along with choosing an intro book, I was also choosing a Prototype/Scriptaculous coding cookbook.
   
   I couldn't tell you how many times the authors displayed a line of code and I analyzed the code for a moment then thought "A ha!" because they demonstrated a clean and concise way to do exactly what I needed to do. Segments of code that I had written that were 25 lines code be shortened to 3 or 4 due to their examples. In javascript the less code that needs to be downloaded to the client the better, so obviously any code reduction w/o affecting performance is a good thing.
   
   My only criticism is perhaps the authors might have added a touch more coding explanations for complex code. Sometimes I would read a line of code and be totally lost as to how it functioned (which is essential if you want to reproduce said code on your own), and there would be little in way of explanation in the book. I quickly overcame this by supplementing the reading with the online documentation, which explained any prototype methods which might not have been thoroughly explained by the authors. I should probably iterate that this happened relatively few times overall.



4. This book builds upon the existing Prototype documentation found at http://prototypejs.org/api by putting the API in context. Other than the fact it uses Ruby for the server side examples (I'm sure everyone who reads it will have a differing opinion there), I have to say it was one of the most helpful programming books I've read. The short usage examples that were neatly tucked into the text were very useful and I found myself reading it almost like a novel and able to soak everything in without needing to download or code them out.
   
   I began using Prototype during the middle of last year when it was in version 1.5. There are many welcomed updates in v1.6 and the author does a good job of filling the reader in on the important changes.
   
   I recommend this book to anyone who might have dabbled in Prototype and is looking to take it to the next level. I also think others like myself will benefit who have been using v1.5 and are looking for a good excuse to stay up to date with the framework.
   
   Oh and it covers Scriptaculous too which is great because the web documentation is seriously lacking compared to Prototype and jQuery



5. I received a review copy of this book, and was able to use some of the code examples to jazz up a site I was building. The examples are very well written, and the code works. If you are into programming in javascript, this book is worth a look.

5 comments about DOM Scripting: Web Design with JavaScript and the Document Object Model.

1. Provides a good clear, conceptual overview and reference. The philosophy/objectives of DOM are emphasisized by he author. Light on examples as the author indicates it will be.
   
   Probably best for the beginning to intermediate developer who wants to improve their efficiency of DOM scripting. Other online and written references I tried were less complete and harder to use.
   
   I would recommend this title. It is a little dated but still very helpful.



2. DOM Scripting by Jeremy Keith turned out to be just what I was looking for. It isn't AJAX. It's JavaScript, from a solid standards based model, that promotes well formed XHTML and CSS. It's good scripting build on top of good code, which is a good thing.
   
   If the book simply promoted "best practices" it would be worthwhile. But this is a very good teaching text, too. The last feature is so rare that I bow to Mr. Keith. So often programming texts are written by and for alpha geeks and are opaque to mere mortals. I can actually understand this book the first time through.
   
   DOM Scripting is written, not to programmers but to designers, albeit designers who are competent hand coders, but designers, none the less. The examples make sense. The projects are ones I actually will use. And terms are described in plain English, with no assumptions of some core, pre-existing knowledge. What makes this book even friendlier is that fact that it isn't a doorstop. At less than 400 pages, including appendices, it's not so intimidating that it will never get read.
   
   If you read and work this book, you will have a solid foundation in client side, interactive web design. If you need to do AJAX, you will have a good handle on how to work its basic tools in your web pages.
   
   If you already know JavaScript and simply want to get current on the DOM, you should find this a quick read and not a reference.



3. I started reading this book with little to no Javascript experience. A little less than a year later, I'm able to take the concepts from this book and really fly. This book will definitely help you learn the foundations of the DOM (Document Object Model) and how to manipulate it to do some pretty incredible stuff. Jeremy shows you the importance of separating out your CSS, Javascript and HTML and how to make it all work seamlessly. Sure, you can do all the same stuff using Prototype, jQuery, MooTools, etc. but it's important to learn the basics first before you start using those. For those of you who know nothing about Javascript, this is the book for you. You'll really have the upper hand in making some really powerful web applications.



4. I really enjoyed this book. Granted, I'm a big more experienced with JavaScript than the market that this book targets, but I was looking for a sort of re-introduction to straight JavaScripting - that is, without a library like Prototype or jQuery, and this book delivers. The examples are clear and easy to follow, and the author does numerous, very practical things - all in all, a great book and an enjoyable read.
   
   David Berube
   Berube Consulting



5. With a friendly and humorous style of writing, this book is liable to revolutionize the way your are writing your code, bringing you to an entirely new level of programming for the web. Although not very thick - the author doesn't miss a beat. No eccentricity of the various JavaScript functions is looked over, and when you are facing a problem - just go back to the section in the book that discusses whatever function is giving you a hard time - and you are most likely to find the reason why. Also recommended is "Css Mastery" by Andy Budd.

5 comments about Head First JavaScript (Head First).

1. After reading the Head First HTML with CSS & xHTML as one of my required classwork books (and loving it), I decided to pick up the Head First JavaScript book. Again, great book! I am the type of person who needs to see everything when learning new stuff, especially web coding, and this book is great at presenting it visually and step by step. Highly recommend if you are new to JavaScript. Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML & Head First JavaScript (Head First)



2. This book falls short of the excellent and easy to follow examples that Head First HTML book introduces.
   
   The first forty pages uses several operators and code without a clear explaination of how it works. There are also excercises that assume some knowledge of concepts beyond what has been explained. This may help help you to ask the right questions but it doesn't help you solve problems.
   
   More diagrams following the values passed through functions would have been helpful as well. Although the author points to code and tells you what it does, it would be much more helpful to actually see the values and actions each step of the way.
   
   I recommend other books for the complete beginner such as JavaScript Demystified. It's a manageable length with consistantly great reviews.



3. The Head First line of books is one of the most unique book publishers in the technical marketplace. Head First books throw the standard teaching books into the shredder and make learning FUN. They key word here is F-U-N. If you have never cracked open a Head First book before you owe it to yourself to do so asap. HF books are hard to explain as there is nothing else like it. Innovative design, funky pictures, and a writing style that is truly unique, these books aren't meant just for reading and reference but entertainment.
   
   If you want to learn Javascript or brush up on it, this book has everything. From the basics of creating functions to form validation to custom objects to DOM access to AJAX, this book is a tome of information.
   
   The only negative about this book is it feeling so hip and exciting, it's a shame that there is no color used in the finished product. This doesn't kill the book at all but if it did have color I would be giving this a rare highest possible recommendation. I feel that with the dynamic, exciting nature of web programming that this need at least some color to separate it from an old school C++ book on the shelf. The absence of color just makes a book that could have been perfect simply great but it is worth noting.
   
   Incredible job by the Head First people and the author. This is probably the best book in the line due to it's subject matter and execution.
   
   ***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED



4. This book is for learning Javascript, what it is good for, what it is not, etc. This is not a reference book. I've read through this book, but then I'm accustomed to self-teaching through reading, and I also had a pretty good understanding of Javascript. I was just looking to brush up, plus I like the layout of the Head First series of books. The test of this book is how it engaged my husband. He wouldn't read any technical book cover to cover unless you could somehow incorporate NFL football into the text. Well, he's been pounding away at Javascript using this book in his spare time for the past three weeks and he's come away learning quite a bit so far. It has done two things that any successful textbook must do - hold the interest of a reluctant student and teach them something as well. It does this by explaining each subject clearly and in several ways without coming across as repetitive.
   
   As other readers have said already, it is not entirely self-contained. I would suggest O'Reilly's old standard JavaScript: The Definitive Guide as a reference and also to fill in information that is missing in this book. Although, one thing I really like about most of the Head First series of books is that they include a section labeled "What is Missing".



5. Like most of the other reviews, I found this book to be extremely informative and entertaining. I've read many technical books in the past, found this book while shopping and thought I'd give it a chance. It allowed me to get up to speed on JAVA in no time, and have fun while doing it. If the other books in this series are as good as this book, I'd recommend them as well! A technical book that can make you smile... what a cool concept!

1 comments about JavaScript: The Good Parts.

1. Douglas Crockford is well known for all his work in JavaScript,including numerous articles, tools, and presentations. Over time he has helped define important concepts in JavaScript, such as style, patterns, pitfalls, and generally how to write clear and maintainable JavaScript code.
   This book encapsulates a lot of that. A lot of great advice is packed in this short and sweet book. It is also a pleasure to read to boot.
   This is not a JavaScript reference book, but instead it is an honest overview of the language features, including the bad stuff that we need to stay clear off.
   I'd recommend this book to anyone that thinks JavaScript is just another curly-brace based language.

5 comments about JavaScript: The Definitive Guide.

1. This book will take you from zero to hero! I read it cover-to-cover twice after having a year or so of javascript experience, and each time I learned a great deal. The reference section is indispensable too.
   
   If you want to learn the language inside and out and start playing with the big boys, get this book.



2. Excellent reference book -- well organized, especially the DOM reference section, and easy to understand. Clear explanation in the introductory chapters.



3. Authoritative, very well written, very well structured, complete, a pleasure to read.
   The intricacies of Javascirpt are very well explained, it might not be an easy read for the average script kiddie but if you want a book that thoroughly describes the language and its browser integration, events, dom, css handling ... look no further.



4. When I first started programming javascript that lasted only a week or so (this was around 2000), the trouble I had with it was with the loose typing and the generality of the language. After reading the core portion of this book, I got to see the advantages and power of what I had problems with. It only took me 12 hours to go from literally clueless to semi-proficient. It also helped that I went through a whole semester of software design in C++. Another subtle part of the book that you do not need to have a semester of software design to learn the language, the author does well to explain the material well. If you are new to javascript, I'd probably get another book to go along with this.



5. If you want to master Javascript and read just one book, then this must be the book you want to buy. Covers A-Z, detailed. If you are beginning on AJAX then this book is must read if you are Javascript beginner. 5 Stars.